Plush
Passive tube programme EQ, inspired by 1950s passive tube programme EQs.
Plush is silky top and deep, controlled bottom. Trick puts the famous low-end boost-and-cut on one knob, Air adds a band above it all, and tube Drive gives it warmth.
The controls
- Low Freq
- 20, 30, 60 or 100 Hz: where the low band works.
- Low
- Low boost, 0 to 10.
- Trick
- Boost and cut at the same time: big, tight low end without mud.
- High Freq
- 5 to 16 kHz: where the high band works.
- High
- High boost, 0 to 10.
- Air
- A band above it all, ±6 dB.
- Drive
- Tube warmth, 0 to 10.
Best for
- The mix bus and mastering: silky top, solid bottom
- Kick and bass: Trick for weight without boom
- Vocals: air and polish
- Acoustic guitar and piano: sheen
Starting points
Load Plush, set these, then adjust by ear. In the plugin, Level match helps you judge the sound, not the loudness.
Bus polish
Low Freq 30, Low 2, Trick 2, High Freq 10, High 2, Air +1, Drive 3
Kick weight
Low Freq 60, Low 5, Trick 4, High Freq 5, High 1, Air 0, Drive 4
Vocal air
Low Freq 100, Low 0, Trick 0, High Freq 12, High 4, Air +2, Drive 2
Hints and tips
- Plush is generous: big boosts sound smooth, but compare at matched loudness.
- Trick does in one knob what used to take two: try it before reaching for a low boost alone.
- Air above 12 kHz adds openness without harshness.
Chains it works best in
Every Original works in a chain with the others and with members' hardware. These are good places to start.
- Mutone then Plush: valve glue then silk: a classic mastering pair
- Plush then Mortar then Spoolhaus: a mix bus chain: tone, glue, tape
- Lumiq then Plush: a polished vocal
Watch out for
- High Drive on a full mix at high levels: it can blur the transients.
- Air and High boosted together on bright material: harsh. Pick one.
Plush is free
Like every DigMusiK plugin, Plush is free for registered members: it's part of the platform, so the chains you hand on and send for approval play the same for everyone. Try it in your studio, on your own mix.